Implantable medical devices (IMDs) include devices implanted in the human body to provide medical treatment. Examples include implantable pacemakers, defibrillators and heart failure devices. A device exterior to the human body, called a programmer, is used to program an IMD.
Some programmers and IMDs communicate via radio frequencies (RF) using a wireless electrical connection. The quality of the wireless communication between the programmer and the IMD, whether in an operating room, an intensive care facility, a patient follow-up clinic, or home monitoring situation, may be limited by causes such as interference from other RF sources and large transmission distance.